Work Continues

This week I have continued the tedious process of rendering a pdf file from the Maricopa County Planning Department. I have to change the current colors on the map to match with the respective cities and zip codes for the project I have been working on.

I have also been trying to contact each city to get updated information on their Neighborhood Stabilization Program target areas. We have a current list that is broad and a year old. I need updated information on the zip codes in which NSP funds are being allocated to. Due to Veterans’ Day I have had a problem getting a hold of the right people from the various cities. Hopefully tomorrow I will have better luck.

Making Sustainable Communities Happen

Today I attended a public address by the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development, Ron Sims. This event was a pre-conference event and was cosponsored by the US Green Building Conference. In addition, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, City of Phoenix and One Economy joined the ASU Stardust Center in co-sponsoring this event.

Ron Sims’ message was especially salient given the challenges we face today in Arizona. He talked about the need for change towards density in our communities, and how sprawl will just not work in the 21st century. He commends Phoenix for its implementation of the light rail saying, “public transportation is the future and we have to make investments in public transportation if we are going to become sustainable.” His overall message was that cities have to embody what sustainability and livability stands for. Sustainability and livability means we leave no one behind. Sustainability and livability are going to be key changes and it is the “smart” cities who will prevail. These will be the communities and cities that attract the talent, how we build is our statement of life and it will define us as cities. I was glad nonetheless, to be able to go and listen to Ron Sims, a well achieved individual, speak on the importance of sustainable, livable, affordable housing.

Mapping

This weekend I have been working on collecting NSP (Neighborhood Stabilization Program) information. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program was established for the purpose of stabilizing communities that have suffered from foreclosures and abandonment. Through the purchase and redevelopment of foreclosed and abandoned homes and residential properties, the goal of the program is being realized. I am searching HUD and individual city websites for each city’s target areas. I am going to compile a map of NSP target areas by zip code for Maricopa County. This will give the program I am working on at LISC a focal point on funding that is being allocated that can be tapped into. It will also help us target specific zip codes of employers’ within the NSP target areas. This is going to be a tedious process but helpful and save time in the beginning stages of this program.

The Real Cost of Driving

This week I have continued work on researching the Valley Metro “Trip Reduction Reference Guide” and Neighborhood Stabilization Communities for LISC. If any of you drive your own vehicle to work or school, go to the following link http://www.valleymetro.org/cost_calculator. I came across this commuter calculator when reading the Trip Reduction Guide. It calculates an individual’s cost of driving by factoring in round trip miles, the number of total work days per month, vacation days per year, your vehicle’s miles per gallon, fuel costs per gallon, and monthly parking costs. When you fill out all the criteria it breaks down how much you pay and how far you travel daily, weekly, monthly and annually. It also factors in cost of car maintenance, which according to AAA is about .08 cents a mile. It maybe hard for a lot of individuals to use public transit but if feasible it is, in most cases, more economical to buy an annual bus pass.

Career Services Event: "The Hidden Job Market"

On October 27th, I listened in on a career services webinar event “The Hidden Job Market.” One major point that was touched upon was networking. Because of the current economic circumstances and unemployment rates, the importance of networking was heavily emphasized. Networking can lead to unadvertised positions in the “hidden job market.” The hidden job market is estimated to contain 60-80% of the total job market. This market is also supposed to be less competitive because less than 25% of people seeking employment use it. Using your personal and professional contacts to your advantage when looking for a job can make the process a lot easier. Expressing your interests to these contacts in a job and what assets you can bring to the table could lead to additional employment leads or even employment.

Happy Halloween!

Last night for Halloween we went to a murder mystery party. Each person was given a character they had to play. My character, Maxine, was a conservative old lady, who was a law abiding citizen. It was the first murder mystery party I had been to, but great fun! Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

Maxine!!

Good times!

And so it begins...

I have started research on the new project I was assigned to at LISC. Currently I am reading The Trip Reduction Ordinance passed by Arizona Legislature in 1988. This is an air quality bill that requires all employers and schools with 50 or more employees to design and implement their own Trip Reduction Programs. This will play a significant role when finding the employers that are within the Neighborhood Stabilization Communities. Our program will offer one more alternative to employers to comply with the ordinance, by having their employees purchase foreclosed properties closer to work. It will also give us some insight into who is actually complying, and raising their awareness.

The overall goal for the ordinance is for employee’s to reduce single occupant vehicle trips or miles traveled to the employer’s work site by 10 percent a year for a total of five years. The next three years employer’s target is to reduce trips by 5 percent, with an overall target reduction of 60 percent at each work site. LISC program is intended to help make these goals achievable.

Here is the link if you would like to know more:
http://www.maricopa.gov/aq/divisions/trip_reduction/default.aspx